Considerable background exists for low signature (smokeless) rocket propellants. These propellants include both extruded double-base types and more recently, slurry cast double-base compositions containing a solid organic oxidizer.
The double-base propellant compositions and the slurry cast double-base compositions have been particularly attractive for use in propellants for light assault weapons because of their near-smokelessness, mesa- or plateau-burning characteristics over certain combustion pressure regimes and low temperature coefficients. However, a need exists for a propellant formulation that optimizes specific propellant properties relating to signature properties, specific impulse, mechanical properties, processing properties, and other properties of importance in solid propellants and quantitative testing of propellant exhaust signature properties.
There exists a wide range of applications in the area of tactical military weapons for low-signature, high energy, castable, case-bonded solid rocket propellants.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a propellant formulation which can be varied with ease to yield the desired propellant properties through the incorporation of one or more of a wide selection of energetic acrylate monomers into the binder.
Another object of this invention is to provide a low-signature, high energy, castable, case-bondable solid rocket propellant based on copolymerized energetic acrylates having a variety of functional groups in the ester group of the acrylate.